Katie Grand is an all-powerful fashion stylist, but she falls down Instagram scroll-holes just like the rest of us. And this is how she discovered Tomo Koizumi, a Tokyo-based designer whose signature style is defined by gowns, cocktail dresses, bodysuits and jackets done in exploding rainbow ruffles. She brought him to New York Fashion Week with the kind of A-list casting that only she can summon (Rowan Blanchard to open, Gwendoline Christie to close, Bella Hadid, Joan Smalls, etc.,), enlisted the best hair and makeup teams (Guido Palau and Pat McGrath), and staged the show at her friend Marc Jacobs’ store (he provided the kitten heels and the t-shirt, too). It was standing room only, with editors crouched under stairs to get a glimpse of of the candy confections, erupting in cheers and whoops for Gwendoline Christie’s finale look (it had a train that required minders).
The New York Fashion Week crowd seemed desperate for something new and different and statement-making, and glommed onto the opportunity: Finally! Fashion! Still, though, wouldn’t it be nice if all the stops were pulled out to celebrate a new and unknown American talent?
